Does a model RX-108 ring any bells for you? Don't worry if you're drawing a blank, because it has been a seriously long time since we talked about the device. It popped up back in February as a possible Nokia Windows 8 tablet, but literally all we had was that model number – at the time, it wasn't clear if we were talking WinRT or full-on Win8. Fast-forward five months, and while the RX-108 remains a mystery, a close relative is back in the news, with Nokia model RX-114 showing up in a benchmark database. Standard benchmark DB warnings apply – as far as possibly fake info goes, it's a ...

Earlier this month, we heard rumors about Microsoft implementing some big discounts on Surface RT tablet hardware, and just a few days later, that news was confirmed: Surface RT hardware saw an across-the-board $150 price cut. While that might be seen as Microsoft getting more aggressive in the tablet space, the company's quarterly financial details – disclosed in the days following this pricing adjustment – revealed another motivation, in the form of $900 million in losses due to excess Surface RT inventory. Today we hear some new reports out of Redmond, where CEO Steve Ballmer has ...

Late last week, rumors arrived that Microsoft was about to begin a big new retail push for sales of its Surface tablet, and in order to spur things on it was going to knock $150 off the pricing for Surface RT models. The source made this sound like it was all but a certainty, and sure enough, over the weekend Microsoft has gone ahead and implemented those savings, just like was rumored. To recap: Microsoft is cutting prices on both the 32GB and 64GB Surface RT tablets by $150, reducing them to about $350 and $450. You're still going to have to pay $100 extra for a Touch Cover, and Surface ...

There may be more than a few rumors about new Surface tablets from Microsoft just over the horizon, but for now, there's still plenty happening with first-gen models. For instance, we just saw the Surface Pro get a new 256GB edition, and Microsoft's been sweetening the Surface deal by bundling in some of its expensive keyboard covers for free. Today we get word of a move that could seriously make the Surface RT a lot more attractive, with rumors suggesting that Microsoft's about to announce a $150 price cut. Granted, that still doesn't bring us down to the crazy-low levels we saw at ...

Rumors about a Windows RT port of Microsoft Outlook have persisted since the beginning of the year. It started off as a project we weren't sure would ever actually see the light of day. A few months later, in April, chances for the software's release seemed to be looking up, but that was followed shortly thereafter by claims of delays, including one that Outlook RT wouldn't launch until the fall of 2014. Thankfully, we can now confirm that the app will arrive very much sooner, as Microsoft has gone ahead at this year's Computex expo and announced how Outlook RT will launch. Microsoft will ...

It's been nearly a year now since Microsoft introduced the world to its Surface tablets. As mobile device announcements go, Microsoft nailed it. While there were some rumors talking about the idea of a Microsoft tablet in the days leading up to the event, we were practically shooting in the dark – first there was word that it could be some kind of Barnes & Noble Nook tie-in, and with just hours to go until the announcement itself, we heard that it might be more gaming-focused, like an Xbox 360 accessory. In the end, what we got was surprising, impressive, and just inspiring: it was a ...

ARM announces Cortex-A12 processor, as we're seeing a cornucopia of devices being unveiled at Computex, and not only. The chip-maker aims to "power the 580 million mid-range mobile devices expected over the next two years", and wants to do that with the new Cortex-A12 processor and the Mali-T622 GPU. ARM's new Cortex-A12 processor is claimed to bring a 40% performance boost over the Cortex-A9 architecture, while consuming the same amount of power. It also supports ARM's big.LITTLE processing technology with the Cortex-A7 processor, alongside unleashing features which, according to the ...

One of the oft-cited problems with Microsoft's Surface tablets is that for a tablet experience that seems so linked to the presence of a keyboard – indeed, Microsoft's Touch and Type Cover designs were some of our favorite parts of the Surface launch – the keyboard isn't provided as part of the base Surface package. That might not be the end of the world, were it not for the sky-high prices Microsoft has been asking, wanting $100 for the Touch or $130 for the Type Cover. Thankfully, Microsoft is doing something about that, and for a short time you might be able to score a free keyboard ...

We were wondering what an HTC One-like Android tablet would look like, and today we're wondering what an HTC tablet running Windows RT will look like. Not because we have too much time on our hands but because of a recent report claiming HTC tablet plans have changed. The rumored full-sized HTC tablet running Windows RT has been reportedly scratched because of the manufacturer's concern regarding weak demand. The information comes from "people familiar with the matter", so treat it accordingly. Aside from weak demand for Windows RT-powered devices, said full-sized tablet would have ...

Historically we've seen many cases of how crucial the right marketing can be for a company, or how devastating the wrong marketing can be as well. On the positive side, we've seen how Samsung and Apple have hugely benefited from great marketing. Many of us agree that both Apple and Samsung products are great, but so are HTC products even if we don't see HTC succeed in the same way. The only difference between these three companies is their approach to Marketing, where HTC clearly doesn't push as hard as the other two. And then we have the complete opposite, where companies like Palm did ...

It looks like it will be a busy June. Following Apple's WWDC, the rumored Android 4.3 launch with maybe a white Nexus 4, a possible Nokia event, comes Samsung Premiere 2013. The invitation features the Galaxy and ATIV brands, which are the flagship Android and Windows families within the product portfolio. June 20, London, 7p local time (2p EDT), are the details made public alongside a link to Samsung's YouTube where it will be streamed live. Do not mistake Samsung Premiere 2013 with Samsung Unpacked; this appears to be a separate event at the same venue in London we saw the Galaxy S III ...

Windows 8 and RT tablets didn't exactly get off to a booming start. The initial absence of the Surface Pro and a lack of compelling products from OEMs failed to add up to a lot of holiday season retail success. Still, Microsoft and its manufacturing partners continue to soldier on, and we're already hearing about what's next on the hardware side. Now a source has possibly leaked a good bit of info on Microsoft's tablet goals for fiscal year 2014 (beginning in July), and it looks like the company is setting the bar for itself seriously high. According to this source, Microsoft wants to ...

Microsoft continues to try and stir-up interest in its tablet offerings, taking the latest step of putting up a page on its site to let visitors do a spec-by-spec comparison between the iPad and a number of Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets. A small controversy has ensued following the page's publication, as some people try and claim that Microsoft is misleading the public, especially when it comes to the screen sizes on these devices. Just what is it doing, and is there really anything untoward about it all? Microsoft's page runs down a number of key factors for this head-to-head: battery ...

As we've heard at the beginning of the month, Microsoft might be ready to announce it's second generation of Surface tablets in June. Then came those ugly rumors according to which we'd have to wait until 2014 to see some Microsoft slates and we're now, more recently, hearing confirmations that it might still be June for the second-wave Surface RT tablets. Whether our wish-list for the next Surface will be taken into consideration or not, only time will tell. However, Digitimes reports that second-generation Surface RT is expected to land in June. It should be an eight-incher and should ...

Watch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about Microsoft's new YouTube app for Windows Phone 8, and why this isn't necessarily good. Then we move to the Nokia Lumia 929 and its official landing page, aside from talking about the fact that Nokia shareholders aren't happy with Stephen Elop's performance, and we know why. Acer is next as the company has dismissed building Windows RT products, and we also know why that is. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 Zoom rumors continue as this poses to be the next Galaxy Camera. We end today's show talking about the Google Playground rumors, and why we think this ...

Apparently, Acer dismisses Windows RT. After previously being a heavy critic of Windows 8, company president Jim Wong -- who once believed that consumers were confused about Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system -- stated that "there's no value doing the current version of RT". While at an Acer event in New York, president Wong acknowledged that "the plan for an RT tablet is ongoing". However, Acer would rather wait for the next iteration of Microsoft's Windows RT platform, due to be released later this year. The company will then decide whether to adopt it or not. Furthermore, there ...

I've been using Windows since the 3.1 days. Back then my desktop computer cost thousands of dollars. To convince my dad to make the purchase I had to promise that I'd somehow make it last through college -- I wasn't even out of Junior High School at the time. Before you laugh, that was back in the day when such a claim could actually be pulled off. Home computers were generally of the "desktop" variety back then -- they sat on your desk and your huge CRT monitor sat on top of them. A few years later my friend's dad showed me a "luggable" computer. It was essentially a desktop computer with ...

For the longest time, we've been wondering when Microsoft might start addressing the big blank space in the middle of its mobile device lineup, for models larger than Windows Phone handsets, yet smaller than current Windows 8 and RT tablets. After all, that's a huge deal for Android and - more recently - iOS, so Microsoft seems to be missing out. We've heard rumors that Microsoft itself could be creating a seven-inch Surface, and while we wait to learn if there's any truth there, the company has confirmed that its OEM partners, at least, will be releasing their own smaller tablets. This ...

The seven-inch-ish form factor quickly became the standard for tablet portability after seeing the ten-inch slates dominate the market previously. All major players have at least a smaller member of their tablet family and according to The Wall Street Journal Microsoft will have one too. The seven-inch Surface might go into production later this year, together with other Surface slates from the refreshed line-up, according to "sources". Same people "familiar with Microsoft's plans" states that the Redmond-based company didn't have any plans for a seven-inch tablet last year but after ...

Been enjoying Nokia Music on your Windows Phone handset? Picked up a Windows 8 tablet and wish you could be taking advantage of the same service while you're working on a larger screen? You're in luck, as Nokia Music is now available for Windows 8 and Windows RT systems. If you've used Nokia Music before you should know what to expect here: recommendations, playlists, offline playback, and more. You can add your own locally-stored MP3s to the action, or even get custom mixes based on your favorite artists. There's support for Nokia Music+ if you subscribe, and you can link your tablet up ...

Back in January, we heard that Microsoft had thrown together an ARM port of Outlook for Windows RT devices, like the company's own Surface RT. At the time, it sounded like internal strife might keep the app from ever seeing the light of day. Now, though, a couple new rumors about Outlook RT have arrived, and they're making it sound like not only could Microsoft have made up its mind to actually release the software, but that it could be arriving relatively soon. Paul Thurrott witnessed a couple of Surface RT tablets running Outlook during a visit to Microsoft's campus. Intriguingly, the ...

Sometimes you just have to schedule a podcast a few hours before a major news event, and as a result you've got to scramble to come up with some valid-sounding speculation about just how useful a Facebook Phone could really be. It's not like we haven't tossed this notion around before, but doing it on the air, off-the-cuff, imbues our lives with a certain energy, a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will. Or even if you won't. Whatever; we have a good time riffing. You'll listen and like it! Ahem. All that, plus some chat on just how big a copycat LG's Optimus G Pro is - and how well it does ...

Windows RT was Microsoft's solution to everyone who was looking for the simplicity of a Tablet OS, without all the legacy baggage behind a full-powered desktop OS, but with the familiar look and feel of it. All great ideas at times when the iPad is eating into PC sales, and when most people don't really do much on a full-fledged computer anyway. Most of us thought it was the perfect computer for the mass market when it was announced, but as it turns out, the product has proven to fail due to the way it confuses customers, and specially when Windows 8 Pro can be had on a laptop for less ...

Watch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about all the Facebook Android rumors, since we no longer know if it should be called a phone. Then we go through the leaked BlackBerry roadmap, and some really interesting strategies coming in the future. Microsoft is next as we talk about Windows RT and its merger with Windows 8. Then it's Windows Phone news as it has gained some positive market share in the last couple of months. We end today's show talking about the AT&T HTC One, which sadly will retain exclusivity over the 64GB model in the US. All this and more after the break. Stories: - ...

With so many devices launched between the fall of 2012 and Spring of 2013, we know many of you want to know what's worth your money, and what you should skip with no questions asked. Both 2012 and 2013 have been great years for mobile technology, but we have a feature called "Worst Gadgets Ever" for a reason. There's always a good deal of products that either end-up as vapor ware, some that suck on their own, and some which simply aren't worth your money when compared to other devices in the market. We thought we'd help you with the Top 5 devices that we would all skip out of everything ...